I have been a collector since I was a child.... mostly aimless & pointless collections. Nothing very valuable, not too trendy, and rarely in mint condition. Just a plethora of "stuff" that I've had fun adding to through the years. If I have at least 3, I consider it a collection. I'll be posting a different collection daily, Monday through Friday, and spotlighting some other marvelous collections I've discovered on the weekends. I hope you stop by often!

Friday, October 21, 2011

COLLECTION #81: Vintage School Pre-Primers

For me, reading has always been a complete joy; from the moment I opened my first pre-primer when I was five years old, to the novel I just finished. I have nothing but happy memories of my early reading experiences. Seeing and collecting vintage pre-primer books (reading readiness books) brings back so many memories of my time with Dick and Jane, Tip and Mitten, Alice and Jerry. But it wasn't really just the words that held all the magic: it was the enchanting illustrations. Chubby, pink-cheeked little boys and girls on roller skates, frolicking with spotted dogs or yellow tabby cats, carrying books to school in picket-fenced neighborhoods. Moms in aprons. Dads with briefcases and fedoras. Curly headed blonde babies in cribs. Pretty teachers with pencil-thin skirts, who were kind and inspiring to their young charges.

For a school book collector like me, it's fun to see the differences between the different series of books for the same age groups. The vocabulary was similar, the stories generally followed the same script. But the illustrations are what set them apart.

The Houghton-Mifflin readers (shown here as The Big Show, and Tip and Mitten) had lovely illustrations. My favorites are by Corinne Malvern, who also illustrated some of my favorite Little Golden Books.

Beautiful illustrations by Corinne Malvern in the Big Show

I love this little A Picture Book for Jerry and Jane, with illustrations by Grace Bollert. It's from the late '30s, and the limited color palette and simple, graphic illustrations, are so charming and sweet.

A collection of pre-primers wouldn't be complete without at least one or two Dick and Jane pre-primers. I have two: We Come and Go, and We Work and Play. The book Before We Read is also part of the Dick and Jane world, published by Scott, Foresman & Co.

From We Work and Play

I must say, with all of these lovely books to look at, my favorites of all are the Alice and Jerry books, published by Row, Peterson & Co. In my mind, these illustrations are absolutely stunning, adorable, and memorable. I'll share the rest of my Alice and Jerry books at a later time.

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About This Blog

A few months ago, I discovered a wonderfulblogcreated by illustrator and designer Lisa Congden. She posted a different collection every day for the year 2010. Being a collector myself, the first thing I thought was that, although I love her collections and her lovely artwork & presentation, I think I have cooler stuff than she does! Thus, the idea for a copycat collector blog began. I can't say my idea is original, but I think my collections are fun, quirky, and worth spotlighting.Also note that I'm willing to part with some of my stuff. I will happily consider any offers for all or part of my daily collections. If the post is marked "FS", then consider at least some of it available.

Email Me!

stefanieeskander@gmail.com

About Me

I'm a toy designer and illustrator by profession, and a graphic designer and digital scrapbooker by avocation.
I'm a wife to a wonderful man, Mom to 4 great kids, and Grandma to four adorable boys, and two beautiful granddaughers. I hope you enjoy my blog!